Chapter 68 Reaction

• The day after the phone call with Daniel, Victoria walked through her neighborhood with a tight, controlled expression. The usual hum of the streets felt different now, quieter, as if the air itself was holding its breath.
• Word had gotten out about Daniel’s actions and the way things had unfolded between them. She could feel the stares of passersby, the whispers just out of earshot, the tension in the air as her name was spoken with a mix of disdain and pity.
• As she passed by familiar faces, she noticed the looks: some full of sympathy, others full of judgment. She had always prided herself on being a part of this community, on the friendships she’d cultivated over the years. But now, it felt like the ground beneath her was shifting.